Veiled Women Of Iran

[Rasputin]

While living in 1979-80 Revolutionary Iran, I was an American feminist who scorned veiling, not so much from contempt as ignorance. I felt that Americans should have the right to go wherever they liked and be whoever they wanted to be. I expected others to accept me as I was rather than attempt to fit in with the prescribed code of conduct. I was not alone; there were other Iranian women like me. And there also were those who wore the veil or another form of public covering, some happily and others reluctantly. Yet, my Iranian family members and friends put their safety on the line to grant me the freedom to choose. Eventually, I came to appreciate their sacrifice, and in time, I took up first a head covering, and later, the veil.

European and American stereotypes depict Iranian women as victims of domineering and abusive men as well as of a repressive fundamentalist society. Yet, what does the West really understand about the veiled women of Iran? Having lived among Islamic women and enjoying the privileges of Iranian citizenship, I became acquainted with many types of veiled females who wore their coverings for a variety of reasons.